Today has been a very emotional day, as I
helped a family say goodbye to their mum.
What made today rather unique were the
lengths that the family went to, in order to honour their promise to stay with
their mum on her final journey.
Rather than book a hearse, the family drove
their mum to the crematorium themselves, taking a route that revisited favourite places. Once at the crematorium, in respect for how fiercely proud
their mum was of her Scottish roots, the family had booked a piper to lead everyone into the
ceremony space.
The family acted as bearers, with four grown up children
carrying in the coffin. Once in place, each of her four children and the eldest grandchildren went up one at a time to place a flower on the coffin. By this
stage, I’m wondering whether I can hold everything together. The ceremony was
simple, reflecting the spirituality and the hope of being reunited with loved
ones. At the end we were piped out to the tune of 'Amazing Grace'...there is just something so incredibly
moving about a lone piper leading the way.
In most cases, this would be the end of the
story but the two sons stayed behind, to be
with their mum as she was placed in the cremator. Sometimes the courage of the
families I meet is just awesome. And as a funeral celebrant, it is a privilege to
share such a personal journey.
Today I am mostly pondering the meaning of life, the universe and everything - being a celebrant does get me thinking sometimes!
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